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‘They Need to Be Hated to..’- Former Serena Williams’ Coach Dishes Out Real Feeling on Players Like Novak Djokovic Who Have a Notorious Habit

Published 12/16/2023, 9:05 PM EST

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Rage has always been a part of the tennis world. While the game has always been about distributing a win and defeat to either side, the one on the negative side faces something more than just defeat. While players are often seen committing moments of rage on the tennis courts, Serena Williams‘ former coach recently brought a switch in perspectives.

Fans and young enthusiasts have always despised the acts of rage, most commonly seen in the form of racket smash. While the events are always seen as indicators of arrogance in tennis players, legendary coach Patrick Moratoglou recently presented a dissection of the act of racket-breaking by tennis players.

Serena Williams’ former coach explains the reason behind the rageful act of racket break

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Caught in a recent conversation regarding the complexities of the tennis world, Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, talked about the secret strategy behind players smashing their rackets during intense matches. The legendary coach explained that these outbursts, besides being just out of frustration, are also a calculated move to boost performance. “I think players who say that they regret having broken a racket, don’t regret having won, and feel they had to do it,” Mouratoglou explained.

According to the 53-year-old coach, breaking a racket can prove to be a stress reliever. It has the impact of being a powerful motion that helps players cope with extreme pressure on the court. Adding a mysterious technicality behind the act, he added, “They need to be hated to raise their level of play.” Mouratoglou believes that players use the negative reactions from the crowd as a turning point to level up their game.

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Along with mentioning the reason behind the act, the Frenchman also acknowledged that breaking a racket isn’t the ideal way to handle stress. “They wish there would be another way than breaking the racket, it costs money, it’s not a good image, not a good example for children, but they are huge competitors, they need to win,” he said. As the tennis coach explained the thought process behind the act of rage, it reminded fans of a similar explanation that Djokovic recently gave.

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Novak Djokovic’s expression after his racket break at the ATP Finals

As Patrick mentioned ‘some players’ in his verdict to talk about the racket break process, it is quite common for the fans to run a thought about the current world no.1 Novak Djokovic. Looking back to a recent incident, the Serbinator, as he started to lose hope in a match against Holger Rune, agreed that smashing the racket helped him reduce his stress during the match. “I can release whatever tension I’m holding and frustration and move on, maybe, that was the case tonight,” he said.

However, making sure to not consider the act as a justified move, he added, “I’m not happy. I’m not happy with that. I definitely don’t like that I have done that, but I have done it and that is it and I have to take responsibility. There are different ways, maybe smarter ways to let go of the frustration than breaking a racquet (smiling).”

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As the tennis star stated a similar reason behind the recent act as explained by the legendary coach, the verdict acted as a fresh perspective for the fans to consider, in order to understand the mindset behind the shameful act of rage.

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Written by:

Akshay Kapoor

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Born into a family that practically breathes tennis, I spent my early childhood days huddled together with my loved ones, watching the electrifying rallies of the legendary Rafael Nadal. Such a unique experience forged a lifelong love for the sport in me. Before joining EssentiallySports, I honed my skills while working for a regional website, covering a variety of sports.
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Edited by:

Ananya Giri